Railway car construction



May 24, 1932.

W. P. MURPHY RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION 5 Sheets-Street 1 Filed Jan. 14,1929 May 24, 1932. w. P. MURPHY 1,859,312

RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 14', 192.9 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IL.:jfzr l-i-i J l lz zvezztor: Wa Zfer'R Murphy May 24 1932.

w. P. MURPHY RAILWAY GAR CONSTRUCTION File Jan. 14, 1929 a Sheets-Sheets Invnfor: Walter E Murphy Attorneg Patented May 24, 1932 UNITED, STATESPATENT- OFFICE warren r. MURIBHY, or cirrcaeo, I/LLINOIS, AssIeNoR TOUNION METAL rnonocrs COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,'A CORPORATIONoFlDE'LAwARE- RAILWAY cAR con s'raoorroii" Application filed January 14,1929. .Serial No. 332,326.

The device relates to railway freight cars, particularly, to that classof equipment havingdoors which are opened or dropped to discharge partor all of the lading.

The object of the invention is to provide a spreader or beam forsimultaneous operation of a pair of swingable doors in a railway freightcar, which spreader is operated by any of the numerous door raisingmechanisms now being marketed. A further object of the invention is toprovide such a spreader or beam with spaced apart portions, each ofwhich preferably engages one of the swingable doors preferably adjacentits vertical medial line, whereby the spreader forms an equalizinglever. Any force applied by the operating mechanism adjacent the middleof the spreader is substantially equally distributed to the two doors,and furthermore, the force transmitted to one of the doors by thespreader is substantially equally dis tributed to the opposite verticaledges or margins of the door.

A further object of the invention is to reduce the cost and weight ofthe spreader and car by forming it of a casting so that the metal can beevenly distributed commensurate with the stresses. 7

Another object of the invention is toengage the spreader with the dooradjacent a stiffening rib or ribs sothat the stresses caused by thelifting of the door will not be taken by the body portion of the door.

In the drawings:

Figs. 1 to 3 show a typical application of my device to a typicalrailway car.

Figs. 4 to 10 show various modifications of the invention.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show a typical application of my invention to a typicalso-called hopper car wherein the lower portion of the car on each sideof the center sills 2 or center ridge is formed into a hopper, eachhopper being provided with a swingable door 3. These doors are connectedfor simultaneous operation by a spreader 4 operated by amechanism 5connected to the middle portion thereof and positioned between thecenter sills and under the ridge for protection from the lading andprovided with a shaft 6 extending to opposite sides of the car foroperation by a wheel 7 or wrench. There are numerous types of'hopperdump cars'in service on the railways with the hopper-so positioned as todischarge the load between the rails and some designed to discharge theload outside of the rails and" there are also so-called general seryicecars of the gondola type having fiat floorscomprising a plurality ofhinged doors, such doors being hinged tothe center construction so as todischarge the'load outside ofthe rails. There are also dump cars used inthe-coke service having a floor sloping towardone side ofthe carwith theside wall comprising aplurality "ofswingable doors to discharge the cokeall on'one side of the car. My invention is adaptable to any one of theabove described cars, or in fact, to any car-having two" or moredoorssimultaneously closed-by a single operative mechanism.

In theform-illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the spreader beam 4 comprisesan integral casting andmay be provided with a hole 8 adjacent itsmiddleportion for reception of a part of the operating mechanism. Thiscastingpreferably comprises an eye beam sec tion having each of its endssecured to one "'of the swingable doors, preferably adjacent itsvertical medial line, or adjacent a vertical line 9 substantially midwaybetween the hinge supports 10*. The ends 11 of e the spreader are flaredout to give greater bear- '1ng:area for connectionto'the door, and'inthe form illustrated, is secured thereto by rivets 12. The centralportion ofthe'spreader is olfset so as 'not to interrupt the flange 13on "the perimeter of the door. Mechanically speaking, this spreader is abeam sup ported atits ends having a concentrated load at its center,therefore, by formingthe spread- 'er of. a' casting, the material can bedistributed according to known methods for "designing such abeam',thereby obtaining the maximum strength for the minimum weight ofmaterial. I

Figs-Aand 5 show a modification wherein eachdooris reinforced by acentral rib28 and diagonally dispos edribs 29 which-extend to thec'ornersof the'door. The spreader is connected to thefcentral rib 28 ofeach" ill i or adjacent the. reinforcing gages,

door. In this arrangement the force applied by the spreader to the dooris distributed over substantially the entire area of the door to theflanges 31-32 adjacent the perimeter of the door.

Figs. 6 and 7 show a construction wherein the dooriis reinforced by apair of parallel ribs 5-36 preferably positioned horizontally ndconnecting opposite portions of the reinf rcing flanges 37 adjacent theperimeter of th door. The spreader 38is connected' cent thezperimeter ofthe door;

diagonal ribs at their junctionandalso preferably to the bodyportion ofthe door-:by rivet 43. I

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be provided with flanges (not shown) which could .portion of the flangesT41 a'dja- 1 I The spreader 42 nests in and is secured to bothiof theseadjacent their intersection and to the body portion of the door, and adoor operating mechanism attached to said spreader adjacent the centerthereof.

3. In a railway car, a pair of hinged dumping doors, each having a bodyportion with a flange adjacent its perimeter, and a, stiffener extendingbetween opposite portions of said flange, a spreader having spaced apartportions, each portion secured'to the body portion of one-ofsaiddoors-adjacent said'stifiailway car, a pair of hinged dumping doors,each having a body portion with a flange adjacent its perimeter, andstiffeners extending. between opposite corners of 'the ,door, spreaderhaving spaced apart sportions, each portion secured to said stiflenersadj acentrtheir. intersection and to .the .body

door. 1 v WALTER P0, MURPHY.

,In some cars the spreader are extendedto i engage locking mechanismssupportedby and secured .to the side of the car. ..A common form oflocking mechanism comprises a hook which falls intoplace by gravity andenthe extremities Y of; the spreader, hook is held in placebyalockingcam. p, In some cars-these outsidelockingnnecjhwhich anismsconstitute the only means of holding the spreader and :the doors inclosed position. When it is desired to use such arlocking mechanism Iextend my spreaders, sothat their "extremities may, engage such lockingmechanisms.

' The "accompanying drawings illustrate the pregerred form of theinvention, though it is to e limited to the exact details ofconstruction shown and described, as'it is obvious that.

- various modifications thereof within the scope ofthe claims will occurto persons skilled in the art. f r g I claim:

1. In a railway car,a-pa-ir of hinged dump- I ingdoors, each havingabody portion with a flange adjacent its perimeter, and astifienerextending between opposite portions of [said flange, a spreader havingspaced apart por- -tions', each portion securedto-the body porr I tionof one of said doors adjacent saidstiifenunderstood that the inventionlsnot er, and a door operating mechanism attached f gjto said spreaderadjacentthe center thereof.

2. In a railway car, a pair of hingeddumping*doors,'each having a bodyportion-with a flange adj acentits perimeter, and stiifeners extendingbetween opposite corners of; the

. .'door,,a spreader having spaced apartpor- :tions, each port onsecuredto' saldistifieners

